Marin General Hospital Turns to Former Nuclear Power Engineers to Improve Safety

"Aiming to improve safety at Marin General Hospital, managers there have turned to consultants who advise high-risk industries such as nuclear power and the airlines.

Healthcare Performance Improvement, a Virginia-based consulting firm, was hired three years ago at a cost of about $100,000 annually. Marin General CEO Lee Domanico said the investment has paid dividends.

Domanico said he decided to hire Healthcare Performance Improvement, which was purchased by Press Ganey last year, after learning about the application of safety improvement techniques from other industries to health care during an educational seminar."

Kerry Johnson, one of the founding partners of Healthcare Performance Improvement, is interviewed at length about the work he does to evolve the word safety in health care.